Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Assam unit of the All India Lawyers Association for Justice is demanding the immediate release of advocate Ariful Islam. Dispur Police took Islam into custody on July 23 while he stood near a student protest at Chachal Ground. He was wearing his court dress and produced his Bar Council identity card. Police ignored his credentials. Officers held him for eight hours before officially recording his arrest at 9 pm on July 24.
Islam faces charges under Dispur Police Station Case No. 541/2026. The list of offenses includes Sections 61(2), 132, 125, 127(2), 126(2), 196(1), 196(2), 189(2), 191(2) and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The protest originally demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The association maintains that Islam had no part in organizing, leading, or funding the event. They claim he was merely a bystander.
The legal group calls the eight-hour gap between his 1 pm detention and his 9 pm booking an unexplained and unlawful detention. They labeled the state's actions an attempt to intimidate the legal profession. The association stated, "The incident could discourage advocates from representing protesters or others accused in protest-related cases."
The association now calls for an inquiry into the detention timeline and the withdrawal of all allegations. They also reached out to the Gauhati Bar Association and the Bar Council of Assam. The group insists the arrest violates constitutional protections under Articles 21 and 22. They want an official guarantee that lawyers will not be punished for their professional work.
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